Maybe you aren't the right people to ask but I am a little confused with the idea of smart contracts. In a private blockchain network. What is the difference between a smart contract vs a middleware? Is it only that the middleware is more easily bypassed than a smart contract?

Like for example with Hyperledger Fabric I can setup my nodes and define a smart contract to define the processes and then use that to interact with the blockchain.

With Multichain I can setup my nodes and create a backend that defines the processes and then use that to interact with the blockchain.

Is there much a difference between these two approaches? Or is it only that if someone manages to steal the credentials to access a Multichain node they could bypass that middleware where the same cannot be said if they get access to a Hyperledger Node?

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The point of putting logic on the chain (smart contracts, smart filters, etc...) is to enforce those rules on the chain itself, so that, no matter what is happening on the endpoints, there are only certain types of transactions that can be performed. So yes, it's about protecting against a situation where someone bypasses the application connected to a node, and communicates with the node directly.